sickening

1 of 2

adjective

sick·​en·​ing ˈsi-kə-niŋ 

ˈsik-niŋ

: causing sickness or disgust

a sickening odor

a sickening display

sickeningly

ˈsi-kə-niŋ-lē 

ˈsik-niŋ-

adverb

sickening

2 of 2

present participle of sicken

Synonyms of sickening

Adjective

• disgusting
• horrible
• awful
• shocking
• ugly
• hideous
• obnoxious
• obscene
• offensive
• dreadful

Examples of sickening in a Sentence

Adjective

a sickening display of selfishness

We heard the squeal of brakes and a sickening thud.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Wildlife officials had found that many of these poisons worked their way through the food chain, sickening and killing owls, raptors, coyotes and mountain lions. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

More importantly, the China business, long a stalwart, started a sickening double-digit decline. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Aug. 2026

As health officials pointed to a Mexican processing plant run by Taylor Farms as the source of a parasite sickening Americans, the giant produce company rushed to defend itself. — Yahya Abou-Ghazala, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026

That’s why Law is a celebrity stylist; Law is known for curating sickening looks for his celebrity clients, but maybe sort of skimping out on himself, unfortunately. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1789, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sickening

• be sickening for

Rhymes for sickening

• quickening
• thickening

Kids Definition

sickening

adjective

sick·​en·​ing

ˈsik-(ə-)niŋ

: causing sickness or disgust

a sickening sight

sickeningly adverb

Medical Definition

sickening

adjective

sick·​en·​ing ˈsik-(ə-)niŋ 

: causing sickness or nausea